Police have laid drug trafficking charges against five people following a search in Winnipeg that is part of a larger, ongoing effort to break up criminal networks operating in Thompson and other northern Manitoba communities.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police launched the investigation, known as Project Darling, in January 2026. The operation targets illegal drug shipments moving between Winnipeg and northern hubs, including Island Lake, Split Lake, Oxford House, and Thompson. On April 29, 2026, members of the Manitoba Integrated Law Enforcement Team executed a search warrant at a home on Pembina Highway in Winnipeg, where they seized approximately $58,000 in cash.
Those charged include 28-year-old Carlita Vasquez of Winnipeg, 26-year-old Natneal Arefaine of Calgary, and three men from Ontario: 24-year-old Ayub Abdi, 27-year-old Jabril Farah, and 22-year-old Alex Keng. Vasquez, Arefaine, and Keng remain in custody, while Abdi and Farah were released on an undertaking.
This investigation is linked to a previous operation called Project Derry, which began in June 2025 following violent incidents in the Bunibonibee Cree Nation, including an act of arson that destroyed the community band office. That project resulted in 51 charges against 27 people. Luke Grieves, 33, of Thompson, was identified as the suspected leader of the network and was arrested while in custody at the Milner Ridge Correctional Centre.
Officials report that these enforcement actions are having a measurable impact on community safety. Following the initial arrests under Project Derry, calls for service to the Oxford House RCMP were nearly halved in November 2025, with a 67 per cent reduction recorded during the first week of December compared to the same period the previous year.
RCMP Supt. Jeff Asmundson stated that these combined efforts demonstrate an ongoing commitment to uncovering and dismantling criminal organizations that bring harm and violence to northern regions. He noted that the work remains ongoing as part of a broader strategy to make communities across Manitoba safer.
